Stiffener for thin sheet material



Sept. 27, 1966 B. DOLBERG STIFFENER FOR THIN SHEET MATERIAL Filed June 8, 1964 INVENTOR. 357v 004 55/26 United States Patent 3,275,066 STIFFENER FOR THIN SHEET MATERIAL Ben Dollierg, 8561 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, Calif. Filed June 8, 1964, Ser. No. 373,336 16 Claims. (Cl. 160-330) Generally speaking, the present invention relates to a stiffener for thin sheet material and, more particularly, in one, exemplary but non-specifically limiting application of the invention, it may be said to pertain to a stiffener for an otherwise unsupported upper side edge portion of a drapery.

In the above-mentioned. exemplary version of the invention, it should be noted that the conventional mounting of draperies with respect to wall and window s'ur-' faces is such that there usually is an upper portion at the top of each drapery, or drapery panel, which extends upwardly above the mounting means employed for mounting the drapery in a desired relationship with respect to a wall or window surface or the like. Usually said mounting means may comprise a rod or the like fastened to the wall so as to lie in a horizontal plane and adapted to have slidably ho'oked with respect thereto a plurality of drapery hooks which have other portions thereof pinned to, or otherwise afiixed or fastened with respect to, a drapery panel of flexible thin sheet material (usually fabric, although not so limited in all forms 'of the invention) at a plurality of horizontally spaced locations positioned somewhat below the top edge of the drapery panel.

It will be understood that the above-mentioned arrangement is such that the lower depending or skirt portion of the drapery panel. below the horizontal line of drapery hooks will effectively hang from the horizontal' rod so that one or more draperies can be caused to cover a substantial area of wall or window surface or can 'be slidably moved so as to effectively uncover same this latter opening type of movement being allowed by transverse slidable movement of the drapery hooks with respect to the horizontal supporting rod.

It will also be understood that the upper or top edge portion of each drapery, or drapery panel, above the horizontal supporting rod and above the plurality of drapery hooks is normally intended to cover the mounting structure and upper edge portions of any windows which may lie therebehind. However, it is this top portion of each drapery, |or drapery panel above the support level which creates a bit of a problem in the average home, particularly with respect to the terminal, vertically directed side edges thereof which very frequently tend to sag or hang downwardly in a most unsatisfactory manner.

It is a primary purpose of the exemplary form of the invention referred to above to completely correct-"the above-mentioned prior art problem and to effectively cause said upper side edge portions of the drapery or the like to be effectively stiffened and to thereby stand upright in the desired manner at all times. Since this is one primary object of one exemplary version of the invention, the description which follows and the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention pertain primarily to this exemplary version of the invention. This is done for the purpose of clarifying and rendering completely understandable one exemplary form of, the invention, but is not to be construed as specifically limiting the invention thereto in all forms of the invention. Actually, the invention may be used wherever an otherwise unsupported thin sheet member is to be effectively stiffened in accordance with the teachings of the present invention set forth hereinbelow both explicity and implicitly.

Additionally, it should be noted that the novel stiffener of the present invention may be of a form particularly suitable for insertion into a flat inner sheath comprised by, and defined within, an otherwise unsupported upper side edge part of a drapery, or drapery panel, orit may be of a form particularly adapted to be initially positioned Within such a flat inner sheath at the time that said drapery is originally manufactured or made. In other words, in this latter form of the invention, said stiffener may be normally permanently retained within said sheath and, in this case, is normally made of a n'on-corrodible material such as stainless steel, certain plastics, or the like, which should also normally be heat-resistant so that the drapery can be washed, cleaned, and/ or ironed with no likelihood of any harmful effects resulting from the permanent retention of the stiffener within the sheath at the upper side edge of the drapery.

In the first-mentioned form of the invention, wherein said stiffener is adapted to be inserted into-said sheath, this may be made possible by providing an entry opening or slot from the exterior of the folded over hem-like edge of such a drapery into-the flat inner sheath defined therein and may be adapted to be removed there-from whenever the drapery is to be washed, cleaned, and/ or ironed, after which it will be replaced therein for subsequent stiffening use. 7

With the above points in mind, it is an object of the present invention to provide -a novel stiffener for a sheath comprised by, and formed within a thin sheet of material, such as the upper side edge of a drapery (although not specifically so limited in all forms of the invention), and which will act to efliectively stiffen and support same.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel stiffener of the character referred to above, which is provided with one or more apertures or holes therethrough adapted to receive the substantially U-shaped rear pin portion of a drapery hook upwardly therethrough whereby to allow same to be engaged therewith when said stiffener is mounted in a flat inner sheath comprised by, and defined within, a thin sheet of material (such as the upper side edge of a drapery, although not specifically so limited) the reception of said substantially U-shaped rear portion of said drapery hook being such as to cause said rear portion thereof to lie behind, immediately adjacent to, and in substantially parallel relationship with respect to, a rear surface of said stiffener (and to have substantially no rear protrusion during the insertion operation beyond its final position) so as .to minimize any tendency of said rear portion of said drapery hook to protrude through a rear portion of said flat sheath of flexible thin sheet material (such as the hem-like portion at .the upper side edge of a drapery, although not specifically so limited). This arrangement makes it possible to fasten such a drapery hook with respect to adrapery edge and also with respect to the novel stiffener of the present invention so that the drapery hook can be used for effective engagement with respect to a transverse supporting rod for hanging the drapery in a conventional manner. When this is done, however, it will be noted that the portion of .the stiffener of the present invention extending above the drapery hook will effectively stiffen the portion of the drapery also extending above the drapery hook and will prevent same from sagging and hanging down in an unsightly manner.

It is a further object of the present invention .to provide a stiffener of the character referred to in the preceding object, wherein a plurality of such apertures or holes are provided in vertically spaced relationship along the vertical length of said stiffener so that the engagement thereof with the rear substantially U-shaped portion of the drapery hook can be effected at virtually any desiredvertical location along the vertical length of both the upper portion of the flat sheath of material of the drapery and the stiffener positioned therein. This allows adjustabove and also hereinafterwherein .the stiffener is made of a material which is substantially corrosion-resistant and heat-resistant and which'is, therefore, adapted to be permanently positioned within such a flat inner sheath along a vertical side" edge of the drapery at the top thereof (or in any other desired location in an equivalent fiat sheath formed in a piece of fiexible thin sheet material) even during washing, cleaning with conventional cleaning solvents, and/or ironing since no damage will occur to the stiffener as a result of these operations. Additionally, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel stiffener of the character referred to hereinbefore and also hereinafter, which has a rounded insertion tip at one end thereof adapted to facilitate slidable insertion thereof through an insertion slot or opening into such a flat inner sheath formed in a thinsheet of material (such as the side edge of drapery at the. top thereof although not specifically so limited) for the pur poses of the present invention.

'It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel type of engagement aperture (either singular or. plural) in the stiffener of the present invention, which minimizes depth clearance requirements for engagement thereof with the rear pin portion of a drapery hook.

- It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel stiffener of the character referred .to herein, generically and/or specifically and including any or all of the features referred to herein, either individually and/or in combination, and which is of an extremely simple, inexpensive construction requiring a minimum of tooling and/or production costs and which is capable of mass manufacture at an extremely low cost per unit whereby to be conducive to widespread manufacture, distribution, and use of the invention.

Further, objects are implicit in the detailed description which follows hereinafter (which is to be considered as exemplary of, but not specifically limiting,-the present invention), and said objects will be apparent to persons skilled in the art after a careful study of the detailed description which follows.

For .the purpose of clarifying the nature of the, present invention, one exemplary embodiment is illustrated in the hereinbelow-described figures of the accompanying single drawing sheet and is described in detail hereinafter.

FIG. 1 is a reduced-size perspective view of one exem-' plary embodiment of the present invention in operative drapery edge supporting use with respect to a drapery which is shown mounted on a supporting rod which is carried by a wall surface in a substantially horizontal plane. In this view the details of the novel stiffener of the present invention are substantially obscured by reason of its mounted stiffening relationship with respect to the upper side edges of the drapery.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view, taken in the direction of the arrows 22 of FIG. 1 and is exemplary of each of the plurality of stiifeners carried by the corresponding edges of the drapery of FIG. 1 at the tops thereof for stiffening same above the level of the supporting rod.

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the stiffener of FIGS. 1 and 2 shown completely disengaged and removed from the drapery. This is done for reasons of drawing simplification and clarity.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary elevational view, taken in the direction of the arrows 4-4 of FIG. 2 and clearly shows the entry slot at the bottom of the flat inner sheath formed within each side edge at the top of the drapery of FIGS. 1 and 2 for the purpose of allowing the coresponding stiffener, to be inserted upwardly therethrough into said flat inner sheath within the drapery edge into a position such as that most clearly shown in FIG. '2.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the portion of the stiffener enclosed within the ellipse designated by the reference numeral 5 .in FIG. 2, with the fabric; sheath of the drapery edge being removed, however, for reasons; of drawing simplification and clarity. Furthermore,-this view is a sequential view showingvarious steps inthe drapery pin portion insertion operation in phantom and with the final position thereof after engagement being shown fragmentarily in solid or full lines.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view geu'- erally similar to FIG. 2, but illustrates the mounting of the drapery edge stiffener and drapery hook on a different type of support comprising one of a plurality of hooks of a so-called traverse mount rather than asupporti-ng rod lying in a horizontal plane as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Such .a traverse mount essentially comprises a horizontal supporting structure sim-ilar to the rod of FIGS.

,1 and 2*but with a plurality of hooks suchas the'one 7 shown in' FIG. 6 arrangedto beslidablymovedby op-j crating pull cords over apulley mechanism '(not showniin; detail since" such arran-gements'arewell known in the art). Otherwise, the .form of the-invention illustrated in FIG. 6 is identical to that illustrated in FIGS." 1-5.

FIG. 7 is a greatly reduced-size view (fragmentary;

with respect to the bottom edge of the drapery) illustrat, ing the substantially permanent or non-removable mounting of a pair of stiflFeners of the same general type as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 within corresponding sheath portions comprised and defined by side edge portions of the drapery at the top thereofthe difference being that said stiifeners are positioned in said locations at the time that the drapery is initially made or manufactured and they are not intended to normally be removed thereafter even when the drapery'is washed, cleaned, and/or.

ironed. p

Generally speaking, the stiffener of the. present invention may be said tocomprise a longitudinalflatstiffem ing member made of any material having suitable characteristics for the intendeduse' thereof. in certain forms of the invention, said material may comprise plastic of molded construction or may comprise metal of stamped construction, although not specifically so limited.

In the exemplary first form of the invention illustrated,

said longitudinal flat stiffening member is made of plasticand is generally designated by the reference. numeral 11.

It has a rounded curved insertion tip 12 atone end there-,

of adapted to facilitate insertion thereof through an entry slot or opening, such as that shown at 13 in FIG. 2, into a flat inner sheath 14 comprised by, and defined within, a multiple-wall side. edge part or hem portion, generally indicated at 15, of a drapery 16 adjacent .to the top edge 17 thereof. 7

It will readily be understood that the insertion tip 12- can be merely manually forcibly inserted through the slot 13 into the flat inner sheath 14 to allow the entire stiffening member 11 to be inserted into said sheath 14.

so that it will, be completely positioned therein-in a manend 18 through the slot 13 whenit is desired to remove the entire stiffening member 11 through the sheath '14, This might be the case when the drapery 1 6 isto.be; washed, cleaned, and/or ironed, after which the stiffen ing member 11 would be reinserted through the slot '13 into the sheath 14 for subsequent stiffening usage. a

It will be noted that the stiffening member 11 has a substantially flat front surface 19 and a substantially flat rear surface 20 and is provided with a plurality of For example,

will be noted that the opposite or lower drapery-pinportion-receiving aperture means extending from said front surface 19 to said rear surface 20 of said stiffening member 11. Said aperture means are indicated generally at 21 and comprise the transverse holes 22 and include in connection with each such transverse hole 22 an upwardly rearwardly angularly inclined effectively conical guide-way means 23 starting at said front surface 19 at a position below the transverse aperture or hole 22 and extending upwardly angularly rearwardly toward said rear surface 20 and into communication with said transverse aperture or hole 22. This provides an arrangement ideally adapted to receive a substantially U- shaped rear pin portion 24 of a drapery hook, indicated generally at 25, upwardly through the conical guide-way means 23 and through the transverse aperture or hole 22 into a position Where the lower bight part 26 of said U-shaped rear pin portion 24 of the drapery book 25 is in effective supporting engagement with respect to the upper edge 27 of said transverse hole or aperture 22 and with the upright rear part of said rear portion 24 of the drapery hook 25 lying behind and immediately adjacent to and in substantially parallel relationship with respect to the rear surface 20 of the stiffening member 11.

The above-described arrangement acts to effectively minimize any possible tendency of the upright rear part of the rear portion 24 of the drapery hook 25 to protrade through a rear wall portion 28 (actually, the room side) of the flat sheath 14 defined by the drapery edge portion during an insertion operation, as best shown fragmentarily in FIG. 5. This is also shown in FIG. 2 and provides a very effective mounting engagement arrangement having a minimum depth dimension in a frontto-back direction and vice versa and yet does so by way of an extremely simple construction of the stiffening member 11 and the transverse apertures 22 and inclined guideways 23. It will be noted that in the example illustrated the inclination of each of the guide ways 23 is such as to effectively define together with the vertical plane of the rear surface of the stiffening member 11 an acute angle of less than 30 degrees and in some cases this is even less.

It will be noted that the front portion of drapery hook, indicated generally at 25, is provided with a downwardly directed hook portion 29 which is adapted to be slidably slipped over and s'upportingly mounted on a transverse supporting rod 31 which may be of any conventional type adapted to be supported by a wall, such as that shown at 32 in FIG. 1, or any other suitable means in a substantially horizontal plane. The arrangement is such that said hook portions 29 can be transversely slidably moved by a person as desired which will have the effect of correspondingly moving the transverse position of the drapery 16. This will make it possible to effectively cover and/ or uncover any desired wall or window portions and may be done by way of one or more panels of drapery material with each edge .portion thereof adjacent the top thereof being normally adapted to be provided with a stiffening member of the type shown at 11 in FIGS. 2 and 3.

FIG. 5 merely illustrates some of the sequential steps involved in inserting (and conversely in removing) the rear upwardly pointed part of the substantially U-sha-ped pin portion 24 of the drapery hook indicated generally at 25, and it is believed that this enlarged fragmentary sectional and operational sequential view is completely selfexplanatory and requires no further detailed explanation at this point-particularly in the light of the extensive description of the mounting operation set forth above.

FIG. 6 is a view generally similar to FIG. 2 and correspondling parts of the invention are designated by corresponding reference numerals. However, in this modification, it should be noted that each of the plurality of hook-like portions 29 of each of the drapery hooks, indicated generally at 25, is adapted to be engaged over another hook or coupling member 32 which is horizontally slidably mounted by what is known in the art as a traverse mount and which is generally designated by the reference numeral 31' in FIG. 6 (without showing any interior detail thereof since such structures are well known in the art). type of arrangement embodies a horizontal supporting rod and a plurality of slider members carrying said hook or coupling members 32 and being slidably carried by said rod and connected to at least one pair of pull cords by way of a .pulley arrangementthe mechanism being such that pulling one cord causes one half of the total number of slidable hooks or coupling members 32 to be transversely moved by said slider members in one direction, while the other half of said hooks or coupling members 32 are transversely moved by the other slider members, and vice versa. This apparatus is not described in detail since such arrangements are well known in the art and comprise no part of the essential features of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a reduced-size view merely illustrating the substantially permanent mounting of a pair of stiffening members in upper parts of side edge portions of a drapery panel. Since this is a modified form of the invention, similar reference numerals are employed, doubly primed, however.

It will be noted that in this modification, the drapery panel 16" has two stiffening members 11" carried in inner sheaths formed in double walled edge parts 15" of the drapery panel 16" and generally similar to the corresponding portions of the first form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1-6 and described in detail hereinbefore. However, in this modification, there normally is no entry slot similar to that shown at 13 in FIG. 2the stiffening members 11" normally being mounted in said upper side edge portions 15" at the time that the drapery panel 16" is made or manufactured and not being intended to be removed thereafter even during washing, cleaning, and/ or pressing operations. This is made possible by having said stiffening members 11" made of noncorrodible and heat-resistant material. For example, they might be made of stainless steel or of high-temperature-resistance plastic material such as Teflon or the like, or of various other suitable plastic materials which are not only capable of resisting heat such as might be encountered during a pressing operation, but which are also capable of resisting the chemically very active cleaning solvents normally used for cleaning draperies, such as chlorinated hydrocarbons or the like.

It should be understood that the figures and the specific description thereof set forth in this application are for the purpose of illustrating the present invention and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention to the precise and detailed specific structure shown in the figures and specifically described hereinbefore. Rather, the real invention is intended to include substantially equivalent constructions embodying the basic teachings and inventive concept of the present invention.

I claim:

1. A stiffener for an otherwise unsupported upper side edge portion of a drapery, comprising: a longitudinal flat stiff thin sheet stiffening member, said longitudinal flat thin sheet stiffening member being adapted to be positioned within a flat inner sheath comprised by and defined within an otherwise unsupported upper side edge portion of a drapery, said longitudinal flat thin sheet stiffening member having a substantially flat front surface and a substantially flat rear surface and being provided with a plurality of vertically longitudinally spaced similar aperture means, each aperture means including a transverse hole and an upwardly rearwardly angularly inclined effectively conical guide-way means starting at said front surface at a position below said transverse hole' and extend ing upwardly angularly rearwardly toward said rear surface and into vertical communication with said trans- It should be understood that this] verse hole, whe're'b'y to be adapted to receive a substantially U-shaped rear pin portion of a drapery hook upwardly therethrough into supporting engagement with respect to said transverse hole and with an upright rear part of said rear portion of said drapery hook lying behind and immediately adjacentto'and in substantially parallel relationship with respect to said rear surface of said longitudinal stiffening member so as to minimizeany tendency of said rear .pin portion of said drapery hook to protrude through a rear portion of said flat sheath of said drapery during the upward angular insertion of said rear pin portion of said drapery hook into said supporting engagement with respect to any one of said transverse holes of said plurality of vertically spaced aperture means.

2. A stiffener for an otherwise unsupported upper side edge portion of a drapery, comprising: a longitudinal flat stiff thin sheet stifieningmember, said flat thin sheet stiffening member haying an insertion tip atone end thereof to facilitate insertion thereof through an entry opening into atsimilarly' shaped flat inner sheath comprised by and defined withinan otherwise unsupported upper side edge portion of a-drapery which is to be effectively stiffened, said longitudinalflat thin sheet Stififilb'f ing member, having a substantially fiat front surface and a substantially flat rear surface and being provided with a plurality of vertically longitudinally spaced similar aperture means, each aperture means including a transverse hole and an upwardly rearwardly angularly inclined effectively conical guide-way means starting at said front surface at a position below said transverse hole and extending upwardly angularly rearwardly toward said rear surface and into vertical communication with said transverse hole, whereby to be adapted 'to receive a substantially U-shaped rear pin portion of a drapery hook upwardly therethrough into supporting engagement with respect to said. transverse hole and with an upright rear part of said rear portion of said drapery hook lying behind and immediately adjacent to and in substantially parallel re- 7 lationship with'respect to said rear surface of said'longitudinal stiffening member so as to minimize any tendency. of said rear pin portion of said drapery hook to protrude through a rear portion of said flat sheath of said drapery during the upward angular insertion of said rear pin portion of said drapery hook into said supporting engagement with respect to any one of said transverse holes of said plurality of vertically spaced aperture means.

7 3.'A device as defined inclaim 2, wherein said longitudinal flat thin sheet stiffening member is made. of noncorrodible plastic material;

4. A stiffener for an otherwise unsupported upper side edge portion of a drapery, comprising: a longitudinal fiat stiff thin sheet stiffening member, said longitudinal fiat thin sheet stilfening member being adapted to be positioned completely and normally non-removably within a flat inner sheathcomprised by and defined within an otherwise unsupported upper side edge portion of a drapery which is to be effectively stiffened, said longitudinal flat thin sheet stiffening member having a substantially flat front surface and a substantially flat rear surface and being provided with a plurality of vertically longitudinally spaced similar aperture means, each aperture means including a transverse hole and an upwardly rearwardly angularly inclined effectively conical guideway means starting at said front surface at a position below said transverse hole and extending upwardly angularly rearwardly toward said rear, surface and into vertical communication'with said transverse hole, whereby to be adapted to receive a substantially U-shaped rear pinlportion of a drapery hook'upwardly therethrough into supporting engagement with respect to said transverse hole and with an upright rear part of said rear portion of said drapery hook lying behind an immediately adjacent to and in substantially-parallel relationship with respect. to said rear surface of said longitudinal stiffening member so as to minimize any tendency of said rear 8 pin portion of said drapery hook to protrude through a rear portion of said flatsheath of said drapery during the upward angular insertion of said rear pin portion of said drapery hook into, said supporting engagement with respect to any one, of said transverse holes of said plurality of vertically spaced aperture means.

r 5. A 'device as defined in claim '4, wherein said longitudinal flat thin sheet stiffening member is made ofnoncorrodible material. 7 a

6. A device as defined in claim 4, wherein said longitudinal fiat sheet stiffening member is madeof. nonsheet stainless .steel material of a substantially non- V corrodible nature.

7. A stiffener for flexible thin sheet material, comprising: a longitudinal flat stiff thin sheet stiffening member, said fiat thin sheet stiffening member having at least one rounded curved insertion tip at one end thereof to facili- V tate insertion thereof through an entry slot' meansinto a similarly shaped flat inner sheath comprised by and defined within an otherwise unsupported upper side edge portion of a drapery which is to be effectively stiffened, said longitudinal flat thin sheetstitfening member having 7 'a substantiallytflatsfront surfaceand a substantially flat rear surface and being provided with a plurality of vertically longitudinally spacedsimilar aperture means, each laperture means including a transverse hole and an-up vertical communication with said transverse hole, whereby to be adapted to receive a substantially U-shaped rear pin portion of a drapery hook upwardly therethrough into supporting engagement with respect to said transverse hole and with an uprightrear. part of said rear portion of said drapery hook lying behind and immediately adjacent to and in substantially parallel relationship ,with respect to said rear surface of said longitudinal stiffening member'soas to, minimize any tendency of said rear pin portionof said drapery hook to protrudethrough a rear portion of said Qflat sheath of said draperyduringthe up ward angular insertionof said rear pin portion of said drapery hook into said supporting engagement with respect to any one of said transverse holes ,of said plurality of vertically spaced aperture means.

8. A stiffener for'flexible thin sheet material, COlIl', prising: a longitudinal flat stiff thin sheet stiffening memher, said flat thin sheet stiffening member having a pair of longitudinally spaced rounded curved ends, at least one of which effectively comprises a rounded end insertion tip to facilitate insertion thereof through an entry slot means into a similarly shaped flat inner sheath comprised by and defined within an otherwise unsupported upper,

side edge portion of a drapery which is to be effectively stifiened and the other one of which comprisesa rounded end removal tip to facilitate removal of said stiffening member from said flat inner sheath through said slot, said longitudinal flat thin sheet stiffening member having a substantially flat front surface and a substantially flat rear surface and being provided with a plurality of vertically longitudinally spacedsimilar aperture means, each aperture means including a transverse hole and an upwardly rearwardly angularly inclined teffectively conical guideway means starting at said front surface, at a position below said transverse .hole and extending upwardly angularly rearwardly toward said rear surface, and into vertical communication with said transverse hole, whereby to be adapted to receive a substantially U-sliaped rear pin portion of a drapery hook upwardlytherethrough' into supporting engagement with respect to said transverse hole and with :an upright rear part of said rear portion of said drapery hook lying behind and immediately adjacent to and in substantially parallel relationship with respect to said rear surface of said longitudinal stitfen ing member so as to minimize any tendency of said rear pin portion of said drapery hook to protrude through a rear portion of said flat sheath of said drapery during the upward angular insertion of said rear pin portion of said drapery hook into said supporting engagement with respect to any one of said transverse holes of said plurality of vertically spaced aperture means.

9. A stiffener for flexible thin sheet material, comprising: a longitudinal flat stiff thin sheet stiffening member, said longitudinal flat thin sheet stilfening member being adapted to be positioned within a flat inner sheath comprised by and defined within an otherwise unsupported portion of a flexible thin sheet member which is to be effectively stiffened, said longitudinal flat thin sheet stiffening member having a substantially flat front surface and a substantially flat rear surface and being provided with at least one drapery-pin-portionreceiving aperture means including a transverse hole and an upwardly rearwardly angularly inclined effectively conical guide-way means starting at said front surface at a position below said transverse hole and extending upwardly angularly rearwardly toward said rear surface and into vertical communication with said transverse hole, whereby to 'be adapted to receive a substantially U-shaped rear pin portion of a drapery hook upwardly therethrough into supporting engagement with respect to said transverse hole and with an upright rear part of said rear portion of said drapery hook lying behind and immediately adjacent to and in substantially parallel relationship with respect to said rear surface of said longitudinal stiffening member so as to minimize any tendency of said rear pin portion of said drapery hook to protrude through a rear portion of said flat sheath of said flexible thin sheet member during the insertion of said rear pin portion of said drapery hook into said supporting engagement with respect to said transverse hole.

10. A stiffener for flexible thin sheet material, comprising: a longitudinal flat stiff thin sheet stiffening member,

said flat thin sheet stiffening member having an insertion tip at one end thereof to facilitate insertion thereof through an entry opening into a similarly shaped flat inner sheath comprised by and defined within an otherwise unsupported portion of a flexible thin sheet member which is to be effectively stiffened, said longitudinal flat thin sheet stiffening member having a substantially fiat front surface and a substantially flat rear surface and being provided with at least one drapery-pin-portion-receiving aperture means including a transverse hole and an upwardly rearwardly angularly inclined effectively conical guide-way means starting at said front surface at a position below said transverse hole and extending upwardly angularly rearwardly toward said rear surface and into vertical communication with said transverse hole, whereby to be adapted to receive a substantially U-shaped rear pin portion of a drapery hook upwardly therethrough into supporting engagement with respect to said transverse hole and with an upright rear part of said rear portion of said drapery hook lying behind and immediately adjacent to and in substantially parallel relationship with respect to said rear surface of said longitudinal stifi'ening member so as to minimize any tendency of said rear pin portion of said drapery hook to protrude through a rear portion of said flat sheath of said flexible thin sheet memher during the insertion of said rear pin portion of said drapery hook into said supporting engagement with respect to said transverse hole.

'11. A device as defined in claim 10, wherein said longitudinal flat thin sheet stiffening member is made of non-corrodible plastic material.

12. A stiflener for flexible thin sheet material, comprising: a longitudinal flat stiff thin sheet stiffening member, said longitudinal flat thin sheet stiffening member being adapted to be positioned completely and normally non-removably within a flat inner sheath comprised by and defined Within an otherwise unsupported portion of a flexible thin sheet member which is to be effectively stiffened, said longitudinal flat thin sheet stiffening member having a substantially flat front surface and a substantially flat rear surface and being provided with at least one drapery-pin-portion-receiving aperture means including a transverse hole and an upwardly rearwardly angu-larly inclined effectively conical guide-way means starting at said front surface at a position below said transverse hole and extending upwardly angularly rearwardly toward said rear surface and into vertical communication with said transverse hole, whereby to be adapted to receive a substantially U-shaped rear pin portion of a drapery hook upwardly therethrough into supporting engagement with respect to said transverse hole and with an upright rear part of said rear portion of said drapery hook lying behind and immediately adjacent to and in substantially parallel relationship with respect to said rear surface of said longitudinal stiffening member so as to minimize any tendency of said rear pin portion of said drapery hook to protrude through a rear portion of said flat sheath of said flexible thin sheet member during the insertion of said rear pin portion of said drapery hook into said supporting engagement with respect to said transverse hole.

13. A device as defined in claim 12, wherein said longitudinal flat thin sheet stiffening member is made of noncorrodible material.

14. A device as defined in claim 12, wherein said longitudinal flat thin sheet stiffening member is made of thin sheet stainless steel material of a substantially non-corrodible nature.

15. A stiffener for flexible thin-sheet material, comprising: a longitudinal fiat stiff thin sheet stiffening member, said flat thin sheet stiffening member having at least one rounded curved insertion tip at one end thereof to facilitate insertion thereof through an entry slot into a similarly shaped flat inner sheath comprised by and defined within an otherwise unsupported portion of a flexible thin sheet member which is to be effectively stiffened, said longitudinal flat thin sheet stiffening member having a substantially fiat front surface and a substantially flat rear surface and being provided with at least one draperypin-portion-receiving aperture means including a transverse hole and an upwardly rearwardly angularly inclined effectively conical guide-way means starting at said front surface at a position below said transverse hole and extending upwardly angularly rearwardly toward said rear surface and into vertical communication with said transverse hole, whereby to be adapted to receive a substantially U-shaped rear pin portion of a drapery hook upwardly therethrough into supporting engagement with respect to said transverse hole and with an upright rear part of said rear portion of said drapery hook lying behind and immediately adjacent to and in substantially parallel relationship with respect to said rear surface of said longitudinal stiffening member so as to minimize any tendency of said rear pin portion of said drapery hook to protrude through a rear portion of said flat sheath of said flexible thin sheet member during the insertion of said rear pin portion of said drapery hook into said supporting engagement with respect to said transverse hole.

16. A stiffener for flexible thin sheet material, comprising: a longitudinal flat stiif thin sheet stiffening member, said flat sheet stiffening member having a pair of longitudinally spaced rounded curve-d ends, at least one of which effectively comprises a rounded end insertion tip to facilitate insertion thereof through an entry slot into a similarly shaped flat inner sheath comprised by and defined within an otherwise unsupported portion of a flexible thin sheet member which is to be effectively stiffened and the other one of which comprises a rounded end removal tip to facilitate removal of said stiflfening member from said flat inner sheath through said slot, said longitudinal flat thin sheet stiffening member having a substantially flat front surface and a substantially flat rear surface and being provided with at least one drapery-pinportion-receiving aperture means including a transverse hole and an upwardly rcarwardly angularly inclined effectively conical guide-way means starting at said front surface at a position below said transverse hole and extending upwardly angularly at a position below said transverse hole and extending upwardly angularly rearwardly toward said rear surface and into vertical communication with said transverse hole, whereby to be adapted to receive a substantially U-shaped rear pin portion of a drapery hook upwardly therethrough into supporting engagement with respect to said transverse. hole and with an upright rear part of said rear portion of said drapery hook lying behind and immediately adjacent to and in substantially parallelrelationship with respect to said rear surface of said longitudinal stiffening memberso as to minimize any tendency of said rear pin portion of said drapery hook to protrude through a rear portion of said 12 flat' sheath of said flexible thin sheet member during the insertion of saidrear pin portion of said drapery hook into said supporting engagement with respect to said transverse hole.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS I 2,147,910 2/1939 Martin. I

2,301,047 11/1942-,Hendley'. 2,809,694 10/1957 Southwell et-al., 160'348H 2,822,869 2/1958 Shayrnan- 1 0--34s 2,978,735 4/1961 Petz-al 160-348,X

IY-IARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner. P. C. KANNAN',-Assistant Examiner. 

1. A STIFFENER FOR AN OTHERWISE UNSUPPORTED UPPER SIDE EDGE PORTION OF A DRAPERY, COMPRISING: A LONGITUDINAL FLAT STIFF THIN SHEET STIFFENING MEMBER, SAID LONGITUDINAL FLAT THIN SHEET STIFFENING MEMBER BEING ADAPTED TO BE POSITIONED WITHIN A FLAT INNER SHEATH COMPRISED BY AND DEFINED WITHIN AN OTHERWISE UNSUPPORTED UPPER SIDE EDGE PORTION OF A DRAPERY, SAID LONGITUDINAL FLAT THIN SHEET STIFFENING MEMBER HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT FRONT SURFACE AND A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT REAR SURFACE AND BEING PROVIDED WITH A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY LONGITUDINALLY SPACED SIMILAR APERTURE MEANS, EACH APERTURE MEANS INCLUDING A TRANSVERSE HOLE AND AN UPWARDLY REARWARDLY ANGULARLY INCLINED EFFECTIVELY CONICAL GUIDE-WAY MEANS STARTING AT SAID FRONT SURFACE AT A POSITION BELOW SAID TRANSVERSE HOLE AND EXTENDING UPWARDLY ANGULARLY REARWARDLY TOWARD SAID REAR SURFACE AND INTO VERTICAL COMMUNICATION WITH SAID TRANSVERSE HOLE, WHEREBY TO BE ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A SUBSTANTIALLY U-SHAPED REAR PIN PORTION OF A DRAPERY HOOK UPWARDLY THERETHROUGH INTO SUPPORTING ENGAGEMENT WITH RESPECT TO SAID TRANSVERSE HOLE AND WITH AN UPRIGHT REAR PART OF SAID REAR PORTION OF SAID DRAPERY HOOK LYING BEHIND AND IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO AND IN SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL RELATIONSHIP WITH RESPECT TO SAID REAR SURFACE OF SAID LONGITUDINAL STIFFENING MEMBER SO AS TO MINIMIZE ANY TENDENCY OF SAID REAR PIN PORTION OF SAID DRAPERY HOOK TO PROTRUDE THROUGH A REAR PORTION OF SAID FLAT SHEATH OF SAID DRAPERY DURING THE UPWARDLY ANGULAR INSERTION OF SAID REAR PIN PORTION OF SAID DRAPERY HOOK INTO SAID SUPPORTING ENGAGEMENT WITH RESPECT TO ANY ONE OF SAID TRANSVERSE HOLES OF SAID PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY SPACED APERTURE MEANS. 